What Are Avocados? They Are a Super Food!

You probably already knew avocados were healthy, but did you know just how healthy they are? These super foods contain more than 20 essential nutrients, including Vitamins E and B-Complex, potassium, and folic acid. In addition, they allow the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients like beta-carotene. And you don't have to worry about the calories in avocados, because all of their fat is the healthy variety: monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Another benefit to avocados is that they help to fight heart disease by lowering your cholesterol. This is because the monounsaturated fats contained in avocados help to lower blood cholesterol. Avocados themselves are cholesterol-free, as well as sodium-free. So you can be sure that they serve as a healthy choice for a snack.

Some of the ways you can use avocados for a snack ingredient are certainly unique. For instance, Brazilians have traditionally used avocados as ingredients in desserts. These include varieties of avocado ice cream, avocado mousse, and avocado smoothies (aka avocado vitamina). That may sound strange, but you won't know what you've been missing until you try a chocolate milkshake flavored with avocado. Make sure you add a touch of sugar to sweeten the drink, though.

One of the reasons that avocados work so well in special desserts is their unique, buttery fruit flavor. But what is the specific nutritional content of an avocado? If you just chop up one cup of avocado pieces, you're looking at about 240 calories, and near 20 grams of fat (but again, no cholesterol). You are also getting a boatload of your necessary daily dietary fiber content - almost half with the 10 grams that an avocado will provide you. And of the seven types of avocados available (bacon, hass, pinkerton, reed, zutano, fuerte, lamb hass), avocado nutrition is consistent.

What is different about the different types of avocados is the taste and texture. You may have to try all seven to see which one you like best, but at most of times of the year, you are likely to come across the Hass variety in your local grocer. This is known as the "year-round avocado," so you could say it never goes out of style. It's also accounts for more than 90% of total avocado crop volume, so you might consider it a luxury to even see a different type of avocado!

If avocados weren't already a staple of your diet, maybe it's time to add them in there. As an excellent source of fiber and healthy fats, not to mention a tasty treat in their own right, avocados are a fruit that really go great with a variety of meals (and desserts).